Keeping Secrets
by La coeur a ses raisons
Summary: Eavesdropping changes everything. What if Logan overheard one conversation never meant for his ears? Eventual LoVe AU, with the activating incident after Lily's death and before the party.
1. Olympian Aspersions

In a dark room, willowy fingers poised over a keyboard, their dexterity arrested as the writer framed his thoughts. The white-light glow of the laptop screen in front of the keys cast sharp shadows past the mid-point of the digits.

On the monitor was a single open window- a text box for a blog. The cursor blinked, the potential for what was and could be stunned the writer.

Since when did he get so sentimental about a blog?

His intensely brown eyes closed. He had to get the truth out somehow; it was killing him. He had to tell someone, even if it was the whole world.

His blog, focused on the Greek Pantheon, was little more than a miserable excuse to stop from telling the secrets he held to everyone and anyone. In a fictional setting, he let loose the maelstrom that was his life, and the soap-opera that existed in thrall around him.

The writer took a deep breath, and pushed his fingers nimbly over the key pad. Text appeared, shoving the cursor further down the page, trailing his thoughts behind.

_Here's the truth:_

_The gods live on a small island, off the coast of Greece, in what used to be the domain of Poseidon… used to be, because Zeus decided to ix-nay Poseidon's rule._

_I, Hermes, bring the truth to mortal eyes for the simple reason that I, messenger and trickster god, cannot keep the secret anymore._

_Poseidon, Hades and Zeus used to be friends. Actually, it was more because of Poseidon's wife, Amphitrite, used to be rather good friends with Zeus… the catch was, their friendship was too good._

_You know all the mythology, I'm sure, that professors have dribbled out to you. Forget all that; I'm bringing you the real story. No one's married unless I say so, no one's related unless I say so… but the powers are still the same. Would I lie to you?_

_Please, keep in mind that the gods are touchy, and their lives rather resemble a soap-opera… so don't let anyone below a certain age… say, 15, read this. It's not the job of the messenger god to dissemble childhood dreams._

_Zeus is, naturally, king of the gods. He rules the island with kindness, bringing prosperity to the lesser gods. His wife, Hera, is less benevolently disposed. She's jealous, vindictive, and- not to put too fine a point on it- nasty._

_The story I'm about to tell you begins on a dark day in the island. Aphrodite has just been murdered. (Let's conveniently skip the idea that gods can't be murdered; one was, and I wouldn't lie… well, not in my messenger capacity.)_

_Athena and Aphrodite were friends, the best friends, actually. All four of us were: Aphrodite (sister to Hephaestus, girlfriend to me, daughter of Zeus), Athena (girlfriend to Hephaestus, daughter of Poseidon and Amphitrite), Hephaestus (boyfriend to Athena, best friend to Hermes, brother to Aphrodite, son of Poseidon and Hera), and your devoted messenger, Hermes (son to Hades and Hestia, sometime boyfriend to Aphrodite, best friend to Hephaestus, friend to thieves and businessmen, bane of all professors everywhere)._

_Let me defend myself. Aphrodite was, as goddess of love, somewhat loose. I loved her, but it's the truth. She loved love. Aphrodite had what is best described as a Harem. I was simply her main squeeze whilst she lived… I think she loved me, too. She just loved love a bit more. At any rate, she was known to flirt with others, including Nemesis, as I later found out. Pan and Helios she tolerated, but did not love._

_Shortly before Aphrodite was murdered, Athena saw me with another girl. One of many since, I'll admit. She told Aphrodite that I kissed said girl… (We were on a break!) and Aphrodite broke up with me. Again. (As I said, main squeeze.)_

_I first met the three (Aphrodite, Athena, Hephaestus) years ago. I have to confess something: I felt more attracted to Athena than I did to Aphrodite. But, being slightly cowardly, I backed off. (Athena and Hephaestus weren't together at the time; that happened later.) There was a sort of a spark between us, and the intensity… well, I went with the safer choice; I went with Aphrodite. I suppose I was always a little bit jealous of Hephaestus as we grew up; Athena was smart (well of course; she's the goddess of wisdom), talented, sweet, and loyal—both to her boyfriend and to her friends. Aphrodite was loyal to friends… she just liked her freedom in the romance department._

_She was murdered, brutally. And it broke my heart. It broke everyone's heart, just about. But it hit harder among we that used to be four; Athena, Hephaestus (her brother, remember), and myself._

_A lesser god, Thanatos, confessed to the murder, and was locked up in Tartarus… but Poseidon didn't believe him. Neither did Athena. Poseidon began to look more closely at the murder, investigating the death of his daughter's friend. I don't blame him; his instincts are usually right on. He just made the mistake of accusing Zeus of the murder. Now, that was stupid. Zeus loved Aphrodite; she was his little girl. Still, I guess that what Poseidon found was convincing; he doesn't usually jump the gun, so to speak._

_Poseidon's little announcement brought the ire of the entire island upon his head. That was when he was stripped of his vast domain, the sea. It was given to a lesser god… a bungler, I might add. But that's a different story._

_What hurt the most, however, was that Athena stood by her father. She was the good daughter, loyal to the end… the catch was, she had to choose. She could not be loyal to the four that were and to her father. I was the one that spoke to her, demanding where her loyalties lay. She insisted upon supporting her father._

_Then what was four (also known as three heartbroken friends) became two. Athena was exiled from our friends, and not even the lesser gods would associate with her. It was not timed to do so just after Amphitrite left Poseidon, after Poseidon was stripped of his domain and left to wander it without authority; that was an unfortunate coincidence. At any rate, shortly thereafter, Hephaestus, her long-time boyfriend, would break up with her._

_I knew I couldn't stay mad at Athena; it wasn't her fault, and we had no business blaming her. I honestly believe that if I hadn't eavesdropped, we would have been friends again... Athena is normally so sweet, so trusting, you can't help but want to protect and befriend her. That's just who she is; you can't stay mad at her._

_Even with the horrors behind us, we would have repaired our friendship and gone back as close as possible to what we were. _

_But I just had to eavesdrop. _

_I went to Hephaestus's residence, partially to drink, partially to grieve the loss of Aphrodite. She was, after all, irreplaceable. We'd been in his chambers for hours, consuming vast quantities of what mortals deem 'alcohol' and I call 'ambrosia'. We'd finished our last bottle of ambrosia, but I wasn't drunk enough, apparently. So I went to get more. On the way, I heard voices raised in arguments. It was Zeus and Hera. (As I said before, Hera's bad news.)_

_Being too stupid at that point to get the heck out, I listened in at the cracked-open door. What I heard made me want to lose whatever was in my stomach at the time, ambrosia and all._

_Athena's mother, Amphitrite, had been engaged in a long-lasting affair with Zeus. And there was a chance that Athena was not the daughter of Poseidon, but of Zeus. It was true, Hera was always sort of evil to Athena, always uttering sly remarks; shooting cruel, cutting glances… but I never understood why before. As Hephaestus's girlfriend, she had always been loyal and sweet. But Hera never warmed up to her. Now, I learned why._

_As inebriated as I was, I still understood one thing: Athena and Hephaestus might be siblings. They didn't know it, couldn't know it, but I understood. I made it to the water closet just in time to evacuate my stomach. They didn't know… they had no idea what they were doing… Athena was so innocent, she'd never suspect. Hephaestus was, although I dislike saying such things of my friend, clueless to the point of stupidity; he'd never guess the truth until it was laid out before him in big bold letters: You are dating your sister, and it's on the verge of a very typical, very dark greek tragedy._

_My gut was churning, even after I rinsed out my mouth. Athena… I had to protect her. There had to be some way to let her be ignorant of the travesty that had become her life, and allow her to keep her innocence as well. She had to be separated from my group of gods in a permanent manner, first and foremost. She had to be severed from Hephaestus once and for all. I had to break her friendships and her heart to save her. She needed to be protected, no matter the cost._

_As I stood, staring at the mirror, trying desperately to think through the buzz, I heard footsteps pass the bathroom- heels, on a woman's feet. Feeling no shame for my actions (Come on, compared to what I'd just heard? Eavesdropping was nothing.), I once again listened at a door, this time to what Hera told Hephaestus. I winced as I heard his objections, his strain, his horror as it finally sunk in. I left for downstairs as he made a bee-line for the bathroom, pushing past his mother. After what we'd just heard, both of us would need copious amounts of ambrosia._

_I went back up the stairs to his room. I didn't expect him to tell me what he'd just heard; Hephaestus has a great deal of pride. The truth of the matter was too ugly to reveal, even to a best friend. Naturally, I could never break him by telling him I knew. For the sake of our friendship, I kept quiet, and passed him the bottle._

Logan wiped his face with his hands, and shook his head. It really wasn't a good thing, to do as he had. He regretted how he treated Veronica- whom he termed Athena. She didn't deserve what had happened. But at least no one would suspect.

Still, he smirked at his own cleverness, using the Greek myths to set up his own confession. Who would guess?

First and most obvious was the name for Lily; Aphrodite, the goddess of love. It was what she was. In the myths, the goddess had sprung from the bloody head of a god which had been thrown into the sea. She could cause any one to love her… and they had. She was beautiful, yes. She was also selfish. That was Lily.

Next was Veronica, whom he named for the goddess of wisdom, Athena. The goddess sprang full-grown from Zeus's head in the myth, with no mother. Anymore, it was true. Veronica's mother had long since departed. The goddess was representative of wisdom, reason, and purity… the only goddess allowed to use the mightiest of weapons, the thunder bolt of Zeus. Logan had no doubt that she could handle it. There was a darker aspect of the myth, involving Hephaestus. It was wrong, but inevitable… and irrelevant at that point.

His own name, that took awhile for Logan to figure out; who was he? Apollos? No; the sun god was war-like, and in Logan's opinion far too cheerful. Besides that, the pansy couldn't lie, an art at which Logan excelled. Ares? Again, no; the god of war was furious and a coward. His personality did not fit either. Then, he remembered the trickster god, the messenger god, Hermes. It fit. Hermes was the cleverest of the pantheon… outside of Athena's wisdom, of course. He was the god of cross-roads, of thieves, of liars, of businessmen and those that cross boundaries. And just like the god, whose cleverness at stealing Apollo's cattle came back to bite him, Logan's own actions returned to give him pain.

_I knew it wasn't fair._

_Don't think I'm stupid, or dense, or any such thing, I knew._

_You're probably wondering what I'm talking about._

_I, whom you all fondly refer to as Hermes, am talking about the way I kept Athena safe. Yes, that was partially a brag, that I protected her. It was also an admission of guilt; I broke her to keep her safe. I am ashamed of that… ironic, _n'est-ce pas?_ Proud to protect, guilty that I hurt… I honestly wish I could say I knew another way._

_I still haven't clarified what I did, have I?_

_Well, please allow me to explain… anything to stop the begging._

_Athena is innocent, but smart and as curious as a proverbial cat. The real-world translation was, I couldn't keep her safe and innocent AND let her anywhere near what was our world._

_So, I did the only thing an, as she so kindly deems me, 'obligatory psychotic jackass' could do to save her. I ostracized her._

_Shut up and don't look at me like that… after all, who are you to question the actions of a god?_

_Seriously, wait until you've heard my reasoning out all the way._

_Hephaestus had just been drinking. Heavily. I wasn't that much better off, but I didn't have as much of a motive as he did. I mean seriously, kissing your sister? I couldn't even imagine his pain, so I kept handing him ambrosia. It was one trick I'd learned that quelled- or numbed at any rate- any feelings of anger, worthlessness, guilt… it was a magic potion that made it all go away. As long as the buzz stayed._

_"Seriously," he said, and it was difficult to understand through the slurs… although my ears weren't at their peak at that point. "I mean… I love her, man. Love love… but… she's just kinda… what if I…" he sobbed, and his tears ran down the neck of the bottle. "I can't believe it."_

_"Dude," I answered, my own speech impaired, "it's her. She's been this strong, she can stand your break-up."_

_Hephaestus looked at me, kinda shocked. "You think I'd break up with her?"_

_"Well, you're drowning your sorrows in liquor, as opposed to your girlfriend's arms. And you can't hurt her."_

_"I only wish that was true."_

_"No, I mean, you can't hurt her. As in I will kill you if you tell her."_

_"Tell her?" Even in his shattered state- and I mean chemical and emotional- Hephaestus wasn't that dumb._

_"Whatever has you cut up," I recovered, grateful for my tolerance to the liquid that has replaced the dog as man's best friend, "you can't tell her."_

_"She'll need a reason."_

_"She's a smart girl. She'll figure something out."_

_"I can't keep her from asking questions. She's going to be around me, and I can't not answer her."_

_The answer was too easy. Even drunk, I knew that. But I needed to help, and that was the only apparent way at the time. "Then we ostracize her forever."_

_"What? You can't do that."_

_"Of course I can."_

_"She's our friend, you-"_

_"Yeah. She's our friend, and we have to protect her from… from whatever you aren't going to tell her. She's too smart for either of us, and the only way to protect her is to keep her away from us."_

_"She's my girlfriend."_

_"And my girlfriend's best friend," I affirmed with clipped tones, "But one thing I know, she needs to be protected. So we're going to kick her out of our group."_

_Hephaestus groaned. I wasn't sure if it was from apprehension or the ambrosia. "How?" he finally asked._

_"It won't be easy, but it will be for her protection… just follow my lead." Hephaestus was never good at improvising, and with Athena, you had to be on your toes. On the other hand, 'have' might be better, as she's still among the living._

_So, we started the next school day. I fought with her, intentionally. You'll never know how hard it is to purposefully pick a fight with a girl that's already been through Tartarus, and who has shared your life… a girl who has been your friend for so long, you stopped questioning why, and a girl who never did anything worse than stick up for her father. My heart broke that day. As she looked up at me, her blue eyes filled with tears, her crushed heart on her sleeve (Hephaestus having just broken up with her officially after an avoidance routine that had been in place since she decided to side with her father), I knew I'd never forgive myself. She was innocent, but I had to cut her out for her own protection._

_That's what started the worst part of my life. At first, she thought that it was a mistake, just a stupid fight like we sometimes have—the type where I say hurtful things and she cries, and then a week later we make up. I couldn't let her do that this time. Every time she tried to approach me that month, I hardened my gaze and sneered._

_But she kept trying to talk to me, even more than to Hephaestus. She kept trying to ask me why, kept reaching out, and it was killing me. That's when I started the rumors- the second hardest thing I'd ever done. They became easier with time, making up lies about her. It was always heart-wrenching, forcing the statements between my teeth. But I had to, for her._

_Yes, I know it's sick and twisted. Believe me, I get the full force of the irony shoved in my face every time I see her, and that hurt look in her eyes._

_The rumors became easier to spread, as I grew numb. You can only see heartbreak so many times in the same girl's face before you get used to it. She got used to it, too, in those endless days of torture. It was as if she expected the insults, after the second week. Maybe she was growing just as numb as I was._

_Then my fellow gods decided to take matters into their own hands. I cried inside, when I saw the accusations spray-painted on her locker… but if anyone asks me about that in court, I'm denying it._

_Oh, yes, the gods have spray-paint and they know how to use it as a weapon. I should know, I've witnessed it first-hand._

_I watched as those around me wounded Athena's spirit, to the point she could barely breathe, couldn't even walk into the school without a hint of tears in her eyes. It wasn't fair. But it was the only thing I could do._

_It was the only way I could save her._

**Please review; reviews mean that you think it's worth continuing the story... more reviews equals happier authoress equals more inspiration equals faster posting.**


	2. The Jerk

**A/N: Okay, I forgot something: Rob Thomas owns V.M.; I just get to play with the characters. **

**Sorry!**

**-Coeur**

Logan glared at Veronica as she passed him in the hall, looking straight ahead. He had become a master of the death glare, a fact that made him rather proud of himself.

He made his way to the journalism room, uneasy. Echolls flopped into a computer lab chair, and accessed the internet, pulling up his blog page. He had no clue how to proceed, with Veronica or the blog. Logically, he knew that she wasn't to blame, just as he wasn't to blame, just as Duncan wasn't to blame for leaving Lily alone, just as Lily wasn't to blame for getting murdered.

He'd softened his opinion of Veronica since Lily's death.

At first, he held firmly that Veronica Mars was evil. She had told Lily that he kissed Yolanda, and so she was to blame for Lily's death. She, with her blonde hair and her tattle-tale propensity for gossip, could be positively identified as the reason Lily was dead.

It only made it easier when she backed up her father, claiming that Jake Kane, of all people, was responsible.

Veronica hadn't made it difficult to blame her; she blamed herself. When Logan confronted her, she accepted that her actions were partially to blame for the demise of her best friend. And then she yelled at him. She was just doing what she knew had to be done; did he have to kiss Yolanda? She blamed him right back for Lily's death.

So Veronica was officially branded evil. She was 100-percent devil's-spawn, from the tips of her toes to the ends of her long blonde hair. He had been angry, especially that first week. And he believed with all his heart that if Veronica didn't show remorse, she'd been completely wrong; then he had every right under the sun to blame her for everything.

That had changed abruptly, when he realized that she was putting up a brave façade.

Lily had been in the ground for only a day. There was a candle-light vigil at her locker, and through the halls of the school. Logan had peered intently through the crowds, trying to see if Veronica had finally come to her senses and accepted that she was to blame for Lily Kane's death.

She wasn't there.

Logan had left, taking off in his Xterra, to give her a piece of his mind. He drove the streets of Neptune, furious at the girl.

He saw her driving away from her home, and decided to follow her. Was she simply late to the vigil? Had she been detained, somehow? He growled, hurt and angry; what could be so important that she was made late for Lily's memorial?

About half an hour after tailing her, he watched as she got out of her car and walk into the cemetery where Lily's headstone rested. His stomach clenched. What, was she going to desecrate Lily's grave, too?

He followed her, listening intently for whatever she would have to say. When she stopped at the foot of Lily's grave, he hid behind a large marble statue of an angel. Her voice carried eerily over the ground, reaching his ears.

"Hi, Lily. It's me… who else would it be, huh?" Veronica sniffled, and Logan felt satisfaction; they were finally getting somewhere.

Then, out of nowhere, Veronica screamed bloody murder, and flung herself down on her best friend's grave.

Logan's hair stood on end as he watched her pummel the fresh earth, crying her eyes out. She was sobbing, hysterical. Her wails and moans would have caused Lily to rise from her grave, had it been possible. Veronica's long hair spilled over the dirt, dragging traces along with it, turning muddy with the ground fog.

Logan's eyes filled with tears; Veronica's grief was too deep for words or expression. Had she been feeling that set of emotions all along, only able to release them now?

"Lily," he heard her sob finally, still on the grave, "Lily, I'm sorry. I'm sorry I wasn't strong enough, I'm sorry if I had anything to do with your death… Lily, please! Tell me this is a joke, that you're not gone… tell me you've just gone too far this time, and you're screwing with my head to teach me a lesson I haven't figured out yet. Lily, please! Please…" She collapsed into sobs again.

Minutes later, she spoke. "Lily, I miss you so much! I keep seeing you everywhere. There's always a blonde head somewhere ahead of me with your bounce, a laugh around a corner that sounds like yours… it's like you're not gone yet…" she hiccoughed for a few minutes, sorrowful.

"Lily, we both know that Koontz didn't murder you. He had no connection, no motive. And he was paid off by your father. I'm sorry Daddy accused your dad, Lily. But that was where the evidence was, and I'm sorry.

"I swear to you, Lily, I swear on this grave, and on my life, and on our friendship, I will find the person who did this to you. I'll prove it beyond a shadow of a doubt, and then I'll get you the justice you want… I can't do anything else.

Logan watched as Veronica wiped at her face with the back of her hand, sniffling. The blonde was lying just off-center of the grave, as if she was conversing with Lily on a twin-bed of dirt. It was as if the two were still telling secrets in Lily's bedroom. Veronica was becoming calmer, more composed… and somehow, that stillness made her emotions that much deeper, that much more turbulent.

"Lily, you probably know that the community, the high school is holding a vigil for you." She scoffed. "But everyone who got you knows that you'd say it's a waste of candles; they're better for seduction scenes, as you teased me so often. You'd see the lilies next to your locker, and the tears, and you'd yell at them. You know you would. And you'd yell at me, too, for not moving on.

"Lily, I can't just move on. I'm not built like that. I have to solve the case before I can let it rest… I have to solve your murder before I let you rest. And I hope you can forgive me, Lily. But I won't let you rest until I'm sure that the monster who did this to you is put away in a dark, cold cell, never to see daylight again.

"Lily, that's the best memorial I can give you—not some stupid cliché candle light service, not some eulogy with my guts spilling about how you loved life and love… my memorial is going to last longer than that, I promise. It may not be about the life you had, or the fun you loved, but it will last.

"I'm going to unmask the truth, and let it shine in daylight. I'm going to show who you are, and I'm not going to back down.

"The only gift I can give you now, Lily, is a promise to find whatever sick and twisted creep would steal you away from me, and make him pay. And he will pay, Lily."

Logan's eyes widened. Veronica, cute blonde sweet Veronica, the girl he used to tease, the childhood sweetheart he never had, was talking very seriously to a grave about avenging Lily's death.

He finally understood. She was grieving. She was grieving because she was plotting revenge. She was grieving because she'd lost the person she loved as a sister. And she had sworn to take any and all steps necessary to avenge Lily, as a final gesture of love to the sister she never had.

Logan felt a deep pit form in his stomach, a place where all his righteous anger suddenly vanished, never to be seen again. Veronica might not believe that she'd caused Lily's death- that would always be a bone between them. But what he just saw went beyond grief and acceptance. Veronica might not accept that she was the reason Lily was gone, but she had just sworn to avenge the blood she helped spill.

Logan knew that if Veronica ever found out that he'd overheard, she would hate him; what she told Lily was private, an intimate secret between best friends. If Logan knew or had heard, it would be seen as a breach of faith. Even Echolls had the honor to not betray that.

Somehow, that understanding had helped heal him. The knowledge that a girl much more resourceful, much smarter than he was, was searching for answers absolved him of a portion of his own guilt. It denied him the right to make Veronica suffer for Lily's sake; Lily would be served by Veronica's justice.

But Echolls could still hate that Veronica was the cause of the tragedy. He could still hate the fact that she was unwilling to admit the fact that she was wrong, along with her father. He just couldn't hate _her_.

His heart had softened as he saw her collapse once more onto the grave in tears. She was suffering just as much- if not more- than he was. He had lost a girlfriend, a young woman that drove him crazy. She had lost a sister, a friend, a confidant- and along with her, all those hours and tears and secrets they'd spent together.

Logan was still glaring at the screen in front of him, eyes now damp from his trip down memory lane. His blog as 'Hermes' was shoving insights about his own personality into his face.

The first revelation was that he was not a nice person by any stretch.

The second most unwelcome revelation was that Mars had been right all along; he really was an obligatory psychotic jackass… more commonly referred to as a jerk. Only now, he apparently was a jerk with a god complex.

Logan opened a new entry, and sighed. It was time for one more secret to be posted, for the world to see.

_Gods are jerks. _

_Me especially. _

_It's clear that I've made into hell the life of a girl that's innocent, kind, and wouldn't hurt anyone unless they were a threat to herself or her friends or family. I've insulted, taunted, yelled and screamed at her. She didn't deserve any of it. _

_I think the worst part of it, the most condemning portion of my actions, is that they started long before I overheard the conversation about Athena's parentage. When I started my vendetta, it was because I blamed Athena for Aphrodite's death. She didn't bash Aphrodite's head in, she didn't do anything she wasn't supposed to do. But I blamed her._

_So, I tormented her. And, because I am one of the more important gods of the pantheon, the others followed in my footsteps. _

_Let's refresh the timeline, here. _

_Aphrodite died._

_I blamed Athena for the death._

_I made Athena as miserable as I could._

_Poseidon, Athena's father, was stripped of his domain._

_Amphitrite, Athena's mother, left._

_I found out that Athena was grieving, and had decided to investigate Aphrodite's death on her own. I heard Athena swear on Aphrodite's grave, Athena's life, and their friendship that Athena would solve the murder._

_I realized that Athena loved Aphrodite, perhaps more than I did._

_I forgave Athena, and decided to stop the tormenting of her as soon as possible._

_I mourned with Hephaestus._

_I overheard about Athena's parentage during said mourning._

_I decided that, to protect her, we would have to continue ostracizing Athena; she should never have to find out that Hephaestus might be her half-brother. She would be thrown out of our group permanently. _

_Let's back up to the whole 'swearing to solve a murder' bit. _

_Athena is highly intelligent. She's also stubborn as a mule. I found her, collapsed and crying on Aphrodite's grave. I found her sobbing. I overheard her swear. And I know that she doesn't lie like I do; she wouldn't lie to Aphrodite. So, when she swore to find Aphrodite's murderer, I believed her. _

_There's more to Athena's oath than meets the eye; most of us know that revenge is a dish best served cold, and that it's an act of hatred. Not so, with Athena. Athena's promise to her friend- now interred with kings and paupers- was an act of love._

_I know it sounds insane, but then, let remember the phrase 'mad with grief', shall we?_

_Athena loved Aphrodite. They were best friends, they were sisters in everything but birth. If Aphrodite needed a lung or a liver or a kidney, Athena would be the first to cut her own out. Actually, if Aphrodite needed a brain, I'm sure Athena would hand hers over without a further thought… sorry, grave humor. _

_Athena doesn't hate anyone, really. Besides that, she doesn't know who killed Aphrodite (yet), so there's really no one for her to hate. And Athena's not the kind of girl to hate people in general. She has to have an object of passion (hate is passion; don't even try to pretend that it's not) or it's useless for her. She hates the idea of whomever took Aphrodite from her, but as long as she can't put a face to the idea, it's not hate, for her._

_She loved Aphrodite. Aphrodite was taken from her._

_Although she would never admit it, although she's never said it when she thought anyone was listening, Athena is doing this for Aphrodite. Athena's promise was for her friend alone. _

_I wasn't supposed to hear her, but under-handedness and sneaky dealings are my forte. I wasn't supposed to be anywhere near the grave when I heard Athena speaking to our friend's memory. So, she doesn't even know that I overheard._

_When I heard her, the center fell out of my universe; the belief that Athena was to blame had become my founding theory of life. Then I sat and listened to her. She swore that her memorial for Aphrodite would not be a few words and tears; it would not be a candle-light vigil or a bouquet set upon her grave every day; Athena's memorial would last, as a tribute to the truth of her friend. Her promise of vengeance and justice was a promise of love for Aphrodite. _

_That's when I stopped hating Athena for what happened to Aphrodite. _

_That's when I realized I'd been treating her unfairly._

_I was a jerk to her- an Obligatory Psychotic Jackass, just as she told me._

_You want to know what the worst part is? I feel guilty._

_No smart comments, please._

_I feel guilty because I wasted good time with Athena, blaming her. It would have been worth it to be friends with her for just a few hours before I had to kick her out of our group. It would have been worth it to make her laugh, to help her forget Aphrodite's death for just a moment. It would have been worth it to give her some form of relief before she set out to find and destory a murderer. _

_But, because I waited to forgive her, because I waited for stupid reasons (thinking I had all the time in the world to be friends with her was stupid), I overheard Hera's statement. And I had to protect her, rather than befriending her once more._

_So, now, I will forever be 'the jerk', and 'the obligatory psychotic jackass' who torments her, and separates her from the realm she used to rule with Aphrodite. _

_I'm a jerk._


	3. The Safety of Honor

Veronica didn't know Logan was looking at her, keeping an eye on her. She had no clue that he watched as she slid past Duncan, ignoring him exactly the same way he refused to acknowledge her existence. She was oblivious to the fact that he knew Veronica didn't want to think about Duncan, the way he dumped her without a real explanation.

She came to the party to salvage what was left of her friendships and reputation. She came to try to forget what Lily would say… which was ridiculous, considering that Lily was the one that would have prompted her to come to the party, anyways.

The treble was loud and the bass was blasting, but sound didn't hide the girls' dirty looks. She winced internally, determined to put on a happy face; it usually worked. But this time… this time, she couldn't really be happy; something told her that the fight with Logan and Duncan was permanent. And that hurt.

Someone in the house had started smoking, and she almost choked on the fumes, her throat drying out in the haze.

Veronica was thirsty. Someone handed her a plastic cup filled with alcohol. She drank it without thinking; she needed to be emotionally numb to withstand the night ahead of her. It was medicine; she needed to be numb to withstand the surgery, to go through the motions of cutting out the old dead flesh.

Logan watched her covertly, still anxious about her. Part of him wanted to see a hint of grief, or guilt, or something. Another part was proud that she didn't back down from what she knew was right. It was what he expected her to do, what Lily would have wanted her to do.

He hated hurting her, but he had to… it might kill him, but he didn't know what the knowledge of her real relationship to her former boyfriend might do to Veronica. He couldn't do anything else; it was, for the time, out of his power. He could only give her a shred of ignorance, and pray it passed for innocence.

So, he watched through the evening, hovering just outside of her vision. His heart ached when he saw her doing body shots—or, rather, letting some guy do body shots off of her. Had he really wounded her that badly? Had his choice of action scarred her so much that she'd allow _that_ to happen? The girl he knew, the one Lily had tried to bring out of her shell, would never have done that.

Then he saw her stumble off to the guest room, and he breathed a sigh of relief. At least there, he could stop worrying; she would be free from her trials while she slept. When she dreamed, perhaps she could forget what he put her through. Maybe, if only in her dreams, she would forgive him.

When he saw Duncan, Veronica's ex and possible half-brother stumble in the same direction, Logan immediately moved to stop him. Any conversation, any action in that quarter was dangerous; either Duncan would tell the truth flat-out, or he'd do something stupid out of guilt—like getting back together with a family member… big fat Greek tragedy.

So, Echolls quickly pried the arms of his 'date' from his torso, and headed after Duncan, slipping a bit on the tile.

When he reached the guest room, he froze. There was Duncan, kneeling over Veronica. The petite blonde was passed out, that much was obvious. She wasn't responding at all to Duncan, to whatever he was mumbling or to the way he stroked her shoulders. If she had, Logan would have probably thrown up all over her long white dress. As it was, he landed a solid punch on Duncan's cheek-bone.

Before Logan had time to register the pain in his knuckles, he'd crossed to the other side of the bed, where Duncan sprawled gracelessly on the floor. He pulled his best friend up by the shirt, and slammed him against the wall. "What is wrong with you!? For the love of whiskey, Duncan, that's VERONICA!"

Duncan moaned, in misery. "I love her…"

"If you finish that with anything else than 'like a brother', I swear, I'll tie diving weights on you, and drown you in the pool."

Duncan moaned, and Logan felt sick, looking at his friend. "Get out," he said, allowing the class president to fall to the floor. "You've had too much to drink, and if you ever… get out before I do something both of us will regret, Duncan."

Duncan looked longingly at Veronica, but Logan gripped his arm, his muscles like steel. "She's your sister, Duncan. Get over it." Logan opened the door, shoved Duncan through, and slammed it shut again.

He slid down the door panel, looking at the girl in the bed. He shook his head. "Veronica, you honestly have no idea what's just happened, have you?" He groaned, and covered his face with a hand, then peered at her through his fingers. She looked small and lonely. He had to protect her; who knew if Duncan would return?

Logan rolled his eyes, and stood. He sat on the edge of the bed. "You do know," he told the unconscious girl, "that you're causing me to miss out on a lot of alcohol, and some really good drugs, right?" When she didn't respond, he just rolled his eyes. "You'd probably tell me that I'll have to sober up sometime… alright, Veronica Mars, I get it. You're not feeling talkative." He winced at his own voice. "I'm talking to someone who's not even listening… crap."

He sat at the edge of the bed, and waited for her to wake up. He couldn't leave; he couldn't risk it. If he left, and someone came in… he knew there were a lot of idiots at Neptune, and Veronica had been deemed 'fair game' by his own royal personage. It was one of the few ways he could think of to get Veronica completely out of the 09'er circle that was hers, to keep her from investigating, from asking questions of people, from finding out the truth.

He had no idea what the truth would do to her.

And somehow, she'd managed to come to an 09'er party, clinging to the memory of what Lily would have done. He was proud of her for that, too. She was honoring Lily's memory in her own way. Not even Duncan could see that, but Logan understood it.

He shook his head at her. She would keep coming, unless he told her why she shouldn't. She would start asking, start questioning. It was who she was. And if she knew… Neptune was a gossip-mongering town. If it got out beyond the four of them- Logan, Duncan, and Duncan's parents… if it got out, then all of Neptune would know. He didn't want her to bear that cross. She would make it her business to find out.

He chuckled at that: 'I am Veronica. Hear me ask.' It was just the standard wise-aleck crack that the blonde typically made. She always made him laugh.

An hour passed while Echolls sobered. Logan felt like he was sinking into the mattress… although that might have been the alcohol finally taking effect. He lay back across the bed, feet still on the floor. He tried to find a way to tell her why without the scenario ending in breaking Veronica in every possible way. No matter what happened, he always ended up explaining about Duncan, in his mind.

The door knob rattled, and a very drunk, very stupid someone came through the door.

"Beaver!" Logan exclaimed, aghast. "What are you-"

"Dude," the drunk boy laughed venomously, "I heard there was a hot, easy chick in here… seriously? Veronica? Man, you're that desp-"

Logan shoved the surfer back through the door. "No, I'm not desperate, you idiot. She had a bit much and had to rest, is all."

"Oh," Cassidy agreed, grinning, "A bit much of little Logan-"

Logan's fist hit someone else's face that night. The surfer sported the bruise for about three weeks, not remembering how he got it.

Logan slammed the door shut after him, wondering just how many people were going to talk about Veronica that way. First Duncan (gross) and then Beaver… he had to get Veronica out of there. If he didn't…

Logan's gut squirmed, remembering what had happened…and the fact that he'd brought GHB to the party for the sake of pranks, for the sake of a high. He'd assumed that they were going to be harmless, just to take people down a peg or two… such as the guys dressing the captain of the football team up in a dress complete with makeup and taking a picture… or really something else stupid high school students would do. He thought they might get an opiate-like high off of them… but now he wasn't so sure.

They couldn't have given Veronica… sweet, innocent, never-hurt-a-fly-in-her-life Veronica… a drug manufactured for a cheap high, and forgetfulness. Surely not even they…

His stomach flipped uncomfortably, knowing that they were very capable of it. GHB had several side-effects, including increased sexuality, fatigue, nausea, slowed response time... all of which Veronica, his sweet Veroncia, had exhibited.

He realized in the back of his mind that Duncan had shown the same signs. He only prayed that the actions were that of the drug, not his friend's own wishes coming into play.

There was another pounding at the door, and Logan's heart caught up in his throat, choking him. Not another one… not another friend who would use her… not another one who was a monster…

Logan looked down at the sleeping blonde, and made a decision. He picked her up in his arms, and waited for the door to open, being unable to turn the knob himself. The knob rotated, and the slab of wood swung forward, two different 09'ers bursting in. Fortunately, they were drunk, and fell to the floor in a mess. Logan carried Veronica out, taking care not to hit her head with the door frame.

She never stirred, not when he had to jump over the two idiots looking for a 'hot dirty blonde', and not when he deposited her in the front seat of his Xterra, buckling her in.

He drove her to the one place he knew she'd neither be questioned nor judged for what had happened; he took her to his home. He took her to safety.


	4. Shades of Friendship

Logan watched in trepidation as the tiny blonde slept in his guest room.

He was scarcely breathing; Logan didn't want Veronica to wake up. He didn't want to disturb her, to pry her out of whatever inevitably happy dreamland she occupied.

He sat tensely in a chair, his laptop forgotten next to him. His mother had needed to take a break from watching her, having stayed awake with the girl all night.

Mrs. Echolls had always been fond of Veronica. She'd even been hurt when the girl didn't hang around anymore. So, when Logan brought the girl in, she turned into a whirlwind, first calling Keith Mars to let him know his daughter was safe and simultaneously instructing Logan to take Veronica to the guest room, then rushing off to get supplies from the cupboards downstairs, grateful that her husband was at a shoot in Turkey.

It wasn't until the girl was on the bed and safe that mother and son spoke.

"_What happened?" Lynn Echolls's voice was low, despite the fact that Veronica was passed out and couldn't be disturbed by a marching band. _

"_Not quite sure, yet," Logan answered. He didn't feel like spilling all his sins to his mother at that moment. "She didn't have more than one drink."_

"_Are you sure?"_

"_I kept an eye on her, Mom. I'm sure…" Logan frowned. He knew Veronica could hold her liquor reasonably well, despite her size. She'd been best friends with Lily Kane, after all. "Maybe she didn't eat before the party." He was desperate for some way that he wasn't responsible for what might have happened. _

"_That couldn't have been all, Logan; Veronica may be small in stature, but she does have some tolerance."_

_Logan slid his fingers through his hair, watching the girl sleep. "There's more. She was asleep in the guest room at the Pomeroy's. Duncan was… well, she wasn't waking up, and she should have been. I tried to stop anything from happening, but in the end, I had to take her here. I knew she'd be safe, here. Her father would ask too many questions, and she… she needs to be safe."_

_Lynn Echolls frowned. If Duncan had been trying to wake Veronica, where was he? Surely if he still cared for the girl, he would have come with Logan, or insisted that they take Veronica to his home. Was Veronica _Personna non grata_ in the _Casa de Kane_, and why?_

_Whatever else happened, Lynn was proud of her son; he did the right thing, saving veronica. He was growing into a man. _

That had been several hours ago. Now, Logan was hoping his mother would return soon, so he wouldn't be the first thing she saw… so that Veronica wouldn't wake up to find herself alone in a room with the man that made her life miserable. That would simply be cruel.

The girl shifted in her sleep; her long blonde hair draped over her face like a curtain. Logan got up from his chair, and gently pulled the curtain back, draping it behind Veronica's ear. He sighed; Veronica looked like an angel, her white dress flowing and her lengthy golden hair spread over a pillow… an angel or a Sleeping Beauty. Somewhere along the road, she had matured into a breath-takingly beautiful young woman.

Echoll's face turned steely. Duncan was obviously three sheets to the wind, to think of Veronica as an object... and to forget their relationship. Logan felt like swearing, suddenly. Why hadn't Duncan used better sense? Why had he broken down? It was Veronica, after all. They had to protect her. One simple job, and there Duncan had been, pawing her. Drunk or not, incapacitated or not, that had been unacceptable. A simple job, and Duncan couldn't even get that right.

Logan fumed at the circumstances, and felt the familiar overwhelming urge to break down and cry. Instead, he decided it was time to let out another secret… this one so new, he barely had time to process it. Logan pulled up his laptop and activated the machine.

_Well,_ he typed in a new blog window, _Hephaestus and I have rather thoroughly managed to deviate from the plan of saving Athena._

_As of right now, she's lying on a guest bed in my house._

_Now, I guess, is just as good a time as any to refresh the mythology of history between the two potential siblings… I mean, we wouldn't want anyone to get lost, now, would we?_

_The story goes, Athena was going to Hephaestus's workshop to pick up some weapons for herself and other gods. Hephaestus was so enamored of her at that point, and so stupid, he tried to seduce her. When that didn't work, he went for rape. She fended him off._

_Well, my pantheon isn't anywhere near as bad that. __I, being a Trickster god, brought something a little more potent than ambrosia to a get-together of the gods (more commonly referred to as a party). I had no idea what harm might arise from it. _

_I don't know the details of what really happened, but Athena ended up passed out in a guest room of our host. And then Hephaestus went in after her. _

_I was worried; Hephaestus isn't the brightest star in the sky, and having had ambrosia (and now I suspect, some of the more potent stuff) he was prone to tell her things he shouldn't… like, why we were avoiding her in the first place or, why it's a bad idea that they should date. Little facts like 'I may be your half brother' tend to dent a girl's ego._

_I went into the room, and found Hephaestus on the bed with her, his hands on her shoulders. I ended that promptly… and she was unconscious, by the way. _

_He probably has a black eye, by now… and a headache. Despite the fact that we've been friends for so long, I'm actually kinda proud about that._

_After over an hour, more people started to hear that there was a girl in the back room. As I've become painfully aware, the lesser gods still have moral scruples like a dog has wings, so for some reason, more of them tried to get into the room; they tried to seduce an unconscious goddess. _

_So, somewhere along the line of punching friends and rescuing unconscious damsels in distress, I forgot why I had her excommunicated from our group, or even that it was important._

_I screwed up._

_I took Athena home, and now, she's sleeping on the guest bed with me to watch over her as she recovers from the 'more potent' form of ambrosia. My mother, Hestia, is still in the other room… I just want Athena to be safe. _

Logan published the latest addition to his thoughts and closed his laptop. He stood, and hovered near the girl that he referred to as 'Athena'.

Veronica shifted again, stretching. Logan stepped back in alarm, not really registering the irony that he was afraid of a short, sweet, sleeping blue-eyed blonde. She settled back down, and the rescuer returned to her side, hanging onto the bedpost at the foot of her bed.

The girl began to show signs of consciousness, and Logan wished his mother would return. He didn't want to see the hurt in Veronica's eyes when she saw him.

Mars groaned, and put a hand to her forehead. She squinted at Logan from between her fingers. "Please tell me you go the plate numbers of the truck."

"What truck?" he asked, not comprehending.

"The one that ran me over last night… at least, it feels like that."

Logan grinned. "Other than that, how do you feel?"

Veronica sat up slightly, turning a tinge green and then taking a deep breath. "Logan… why are you here?" she asked, frowning sadly.

"I felt I owed you a rescue, tiny blonde one… and a lecture."

"Could you hold on the lecture for a bit?"

"Maybe, why?"

"I'd like some water." Logan obligingly decanted some from a pitcher, and the blonde expounded, "It feels like I've got my mouth stuffed full of cotton balls…" she looked sharply at Logan, half-afraid.

"Now worries, mars," he assured her, handing her the glass, "The cotton balls are still in the medicine cabinet."

"Okay… Logan?" She bit her lip as soon as she spoke, as if afraid of asking him a question.

"Hm?"

"What… what did I do to make you hate me so much?"

"I don't hate you, Veronica. If I did, I would have left you at the party."

"So why…" she bit her lip, and Logan felt the overwhelming urge to hug her, to comfort her, and (worst of all) to spill his guts about 'why'.

He decided to answer in half-truths. "Veronica, you don't belong in the 09'er group."

"Logan, I-"

"Let me finish. You don't belong because you're sweet. I can't protect you like Lily could and did. You're going to have to come to grips with the fact that the 09'ers are not nice people. With one or two exceptions, we're really amoral… to the point of sociopath tendencies. If you want an example, just look at Madison."

"Why did you kick me out, Logan? I know you're the one that set the wheels in motion; even to me, people talk. I've been friends with you, Duncan, and Lily since Middle School. I only know that world. Why kick me out?"

"For your protection."

"I still don't-"

"Again, let me finish. You woke up with cotton-mouth, and you feel sticky, and you don't know why. Ronnie, I brought GHB to the party. I intended it for a rave, or maybe pranks."

Veronica shrugged, unhappy, "Superglue a guy's underwear to the ceiling while he sleeps?" she suggested, un-amused.

Logan couldn't repress a small smile. He knew she was foregoing her own lecture to him about party drugs. "Something along those lines. Veronica… the only way I can figure it is that someone slipped some in your drink. I don't know who, but I will find out."

Veronica shook her head, disbelieving. "Maybe I only passed out on the lawn-chair; maybe-"

"You did body shots."

"I didn't!"

"Or, more accurately, someone did body shots off of you."

Veronica blushed, mortified. "I don't remember any of it." She covered her face with her hands.

"That's partially my fault for bringing the drugs. There's more."

"Please tell me I didn't strip-tease," she said into her palms, "or beg Duncan to take me back," she added in a whisper.

"No, you didn't. But this may be worse."

"Worse than body shots and someone drugging me?"

"Probably, but this one isn't on you. After the shots, you went to lie down in the back room." He half-expected a comment like 'That's not so bad' but the blonde was silent. "Someone followed you. I followed him, and found him pawing you while you were out of it. I threw him out of the room, but others followed, looking to take advantage of you while you slept. So, I decided to take you someplace safe. I would have taken you home, but I knew your father would not be favorably disposed to your condition."

After a few moments, Veronica whispered, "How many were there, Logan?"

"I didn't count the tequila-"

"How many people I used to call friends…" she couldn't finish.

"Four, before I left with you."

"Four!? You waited until four-"

"The last two came in together."

Veronica looked as if Logan had just hit her. Her eyes willed up with tears, and she wept into her hands.

Logan wanted to hug her again, but continued speaking. "I don't know how many followed after we left."

"Did," she asked through her sobs, "Did I know any of them?"

"Three for sure," he answered. "The fourth, probably." He let her cry for a few minutes before holding her by the shoulders. "Ronnie, I won't always be there to save you. Now you get why you have to stay away from the 09'ers?"

Veronica nodded, and Logan breathed a sigh of relief. "Veronica, there's one more issue."

"More?" she demanded, miserable.

"Unfortunately, yes. As a former 09'er, you're going to be a target."

"What's next, a roofie?"

"I hope not. But I meant socially. People still remember you as being one of the most important of our members… in the inner circle, as it were."

"Before my fall from grace, you mean."

"Ronnie, this is important. You're in limbo; not an 09'er anymore, but not an 02, either. There will be people all along the totem pole trying to knock you down a peg, so they're a step above where they were. The more you show you care, the more they'll try. It won't be good, V."

"And you'll lead the charge, I suppose."

"I'll do whatever I have to, to keep you from the 09'ers. If I have to start a war between us, so be it."

"Any ideas on how to minimize the attacks… or at least the damage from them?"

"Let's start with defense. You need a thicker skin, Ronnie."

"The best defense is an offense."

Logan chuckled. "For some reason, I can't see you provoking anyone."

"Then I'll have to change what you see."

"You'll also need to stop being so nice. Nice equals target in our world, Ronnie. Words are weapons, and you need to start accumulating your arsenal."

"How?"

"Practice."

"Logan, how can I—do I look in the mirror and wait for inspiration to strike?"

"No. You snap back at people. You call them on their crap. No matter who they are or how strong they are, go for the throat. Usually, the sooner you start crap with people high-up in the pyramid, the more afraid the people on the lower tiers will be."

"Logan, I can't do that."

"Why not?"

"_You're_ up there!"

"Then start with me. If I give you crap, don't give me the benefit of the doubt. Don't forgive me because I might be having a bad day or dealing with issues. If I attack your car, you attack mine. If I mock you, throw it right back in my face."

"But Logan, what if I hurt you?"

"I've got a thick skin, V. I promise. And one more thing."

"There's more?"

"Commit an act of rebellion as soon as possible. Throw them off-guard."

"Should I be taking notes on this?" she asked, feeling bewildered. Veronica sighed. "So, what, get detention? Egg Madison's locker?"

"Just make it ostentatious. Make it clear that you don't live by 09'er rules anymore. And don't hold back; they won't."

There was a soft knock at the door. The two teenagers turned to see Mrs. Echolls peering inside. "Veronica," she said with a relieved smile, "you're awake!"

Logan smiled at Veronica, then kissed her forehead. "Good luck," he whispered, pressing his lips to her skin before leaving the room.

Mrs. Echolls sat down next to the blonde. "How are you, Veronica?"

"A little groggy, but fine," Mars answered with a smile. "Thank you for helping me."

Logan was soon out of earshot on the way to his room. He was asleep before he remembered to mention that she'd need to acquire allies, and fast. He'd tell her soon, he resolved as he drifted into dreams. He wasn't sure how, but he'd find a way…

**A/N: Just a friendly reminder, please review! Reviews help me, letting me know where and with what I've gone wrong... plus, they give me inspriation to write more. Translation: more reviews equals more posts more rapidly... **

**Thanks so much to everyone who has taken (and will take) the time to give feedback!**

**-Coeur**


	5. War Counsel

Two teens were very quiet as Logan drove Veronica home.

Once or twice, Veronica opened her mouth to speak, only to close it again, seeing Logan's stone-set face.

Logan made no sign of attempt to conversation; his thoughts were too rapid and too deep as he went through his options regarding the blonde next to him.

The silence was so profound, so dense and heavy, it was like an anvil landing on Wile E. Coyote; the two former friends were both affected by the lack of noise—which had long since passed awkward, and smothered the atmosphere in the car like a sopping wet blanket. Both teens knew instinctively that if the radio was turned on, it would be a mockery of everything that had just transpired; the songs would be loud, and tinny to their ears; strains of music which normally would be fun or familiar would sound shallow and harsh.

Eventually, the environment in the car was beyond endurance for the girl, and Veronica did speak, very quietly. "Logan… I… thank you," she ended lamely. She fiddled with the white dress in her lap, examining the remains of tequila in the fabric.

Logan was busy ignoring the fact that she was currently wearing one of his button-down shirts and a pair of his gym shorts. "For what?"he asked, his tone harsh.

"For… for helping me. I know you hate me. It… it can't have been easy, driving me-"

"I already told you I don't hate you. And don't thank me; you wouldn't have needed it if I'd done my job," he answered abruptly. "If I'd convinced you to stay away from the 09'ers, you wouldn't have needed the help at all."

"Oh." She spoke very quietly to the hands folded in her lap.

Logan glanced at her, and stated abruptly, "I'm not going to apologize."

Veronica looked up, startled."…what?"

"I won't apologize."

"I wasn't asking you to," she answered in a whisper, eyes tearing up. "You've… you made it clear that we're enemies. Enemies don't apologize."

"Veronica, it's not…" he started quickly, then stopped, rephrasing in his head. "It's not that I hate you. I wouldn't have stopped you if I hated you. If I hated you, I'd have let the whole mess come to a head, and ignored you."

"So you drove me away from everything I know, why?"

"…I had to protect you, Ronnie. It's screwed up, and I know it. But it is what it is, and this is the best help I can give. Separating you from the 09'ers _is _the best plan."

"…protect me from what, Logan?"

"Hm?"

"Protect. Me. From. What?" She repeated in painstaking enunciation. "What can be so horrible that you turn the school against me to protect me from it?"

"One, that's bad grammar. Two, that's my secret… but it would destroy your life, Veronica. Bet on it."

"What, more than you've already crushed it? Logan… can't you trust me enough to-"

"No."

"…what?"

"No, I can't trust you. You have a history of not keeping secrets, Ronnie."

"Hey! You would have done the same thing if you'd been in my shoes, Echolls! If I'd cheated on Duncan, you would have done the same thing as me! You don't get to say that!"

"Yes, but here's the difference: it's _my_ secret. And I'm keeping it."

"Logan, it's my life!"

"And it's my choice!"

"Jackass!"

"Whatever, Ronnie. I have my reasons. And believe me, if I had an ounce less moral fiber- God knows where I got that from- I would let you know, and watch you writhe. But guess what, I got it in my head that I need you to be safe, somehow. And this is the best plan I have. So excuse me for trying to protect you, but I know you're not going to move out of Neptune, and I can't risk you by lack of action. I can't risk what would happen to you if you found out. So now, if you'd please shut up and let me drive, I'll make sure you get home."

Veronica was silent for a very angry minute before she spoke again. "Fine. Don't tell me why." She shot him a heated look. "But I think I can get the truth out of Duncan."

Logan slammed on the breaks, causing both of them to lose their wind against the safety harnesses. "Ronnie! No!"

Veronica spoke around her coughing, "Why not? You got him to break up with me, he has to know why-"

"No. I didn't get Duncan to break up with you. That was all him. And don't you _dare_ ask him."

"Why? Afraid I'll get my answers?"

"Yes! Ronnie, I don't know why you're so tenacious, but I'm asking you, trust me on this one thing: You Don't Want To Know… I wish _I_ didn't know."

"Why?"

"Because it's just that bad."

Veronica took a deep breath, and thought for a few moments. "…okay," she said finally. "Fine. But I do have other questions."

"What questions?"

"Who roofied me?"

"Veronica, I don't know, okay?"

"No; not okay. I need to know so I can destroy whoever did that to me. I need to know, Logan."

Logan sighed, and put the car in drive. "Fine."

Veronica's eyes narrowed slightly. "I can't find out without asking the 09'ers, Logan."

"You're _not _talking to the 09'ers."

"I have to find out somehow."

"Fine, I… I'll help. Whatever. Just… just… do us both a favor and don't ask, alright?"

"In general, or about this?"

"Well, since I expect you to fight back against the 09'ers, let's keep the restrictions to what we just talked about."

"Now I'm restricted? What are you, my dad?"

"No, thank God, I'm not. Just… Ronnie, there's one more thing."

"What, do I have to wear just the outfits you pick out for me?"

Logan snorted. "You need an ally, alright? You need friends. I don't want you going up against all of the 90909 zip code without some form of support."

"…Logan…"

He glanced over to her, and realized she didn't know what to say. He recognized the look in her eyes, though. She still thought he was a friend… _that_ idea had to go. Veronica had to believe she was standing on her own two feet, or the whole mess was worth nothing.

"Ronnie, let's get this straight. I'm rooting for you, but I'm going to make your life Hell."

A spark seemed to shoot into Veronica . As soon as she heard that, she straightened her posture. "Logan, you're—you _were_ a friend. But the instant you come against me, I promise I won't hold back."

Logan knew she was both challenging him and acknowledging that she accepted his plan. That small realization caused his lips to turn up in a small smile. "Think you can handle that, Mars?"

"Logan… just because I look like I should be a marshmallow inside, doesn't mean I am one. I did learn from Lily. I know what it means to be blonde, beautiful, and completely vicious."

"That's what I'm counting on, Mars. I know you've got a fight inside of you. I want that alive and kicking."

Veronica nodded, the spark in her eyes burning bright. "Right. Okay, then, the game is on…" Her new confidence faltered. "Hey, Logan?"

"Yeah?"

She seemed anxious as she spoke. "I don't want to be evil. Vicious, fine. Evil, no. If… if you see me… if I start going over to the dark side, promise me that you'll-"

"I'll step in. I promise."

The blonde nodded, and stared at her lap again. "Thank you."

Logan pulled into Ronnie's apartment building parking lot, and parked the car. "So… are you ready to go to war?"

Veronica nodded, and unbuckled the seat-belt. She exited the X-terra without another word, closing the door with a click. Before she turned away, she spoke. "And Logan?"

"Yeah?"

"…thanks for the rescue."

"Just don't let it happen too often, Mars."

She nodded, and ascended the stairs to the apartment she shared with her father. Once the door closed, Logan exhaled in relief. He didn't believe that Veronica would actually back off of the Roofie problem, or that she'd just sit back and let him take over. It wasn't her nature to let go of a problem. But at least she wouldn't ask too many questions about the reason Duncan broke her heart.

Veronica was many things, but pathological liar was not one of them. She might pass small falsehoods to save her friends, but when she wasn't playing around, when she looked you in the eye and answered in a level tone, she would keep her word. No matter how heavy the fighting was, no matter the part she was playing, Veronica was incapable of betraying her nature.

Logan took a deep breath, and looked up at the slowly lightening sky of the Neptune dawn.

He put his car in gear, and drove out of the parking lot towards Dog Beach. "Dear mortals," he addressed the sky, thinking aloud on how to phrase his next blog entry, "Even during the fiercest wars, agreements are made about acceptable conduct. These are your 'rules of war'. Athena and I have had our own secret war counsel, separate from the other gods…"


End file.
